This invention relates generally to the field of storage devices, and more particularly to a paint brush storage device.
Paint brushes have been used for hundreds of years to apply paint to various substrates. In the case of a typical house paint brush there is a handle portion at the upper end and a bristle portion at the lower end. The bristle portion is generally rectangular in cross section. For example, a brush may be one half of an inch thick and two inches wide with a bristle length of about three inches. The bristle width may vary from one half of one inch to as much as six inches or more, however the bristle thickness varies only from about three eighths of an inch to three quarters of an inch.
There are times, when doing a painting job, that it is necessary to stop painting for a period of time. During these times the paint brush either needs to be completely cleaned of paint or needs to be bathed in a solvent so that the paint doesn't dry and harden in the bristles.
Cleaning the paint brush completely tends to be time consuming and can also be wasteful of water or other solvent cleaning materials. Storing a brush in a solvent solution takes less time. Brushes are typically stored in an open topped container with enough solvent in the container to keep the bristle portion moist.
The problem with this method of storage is that because of the normally rectangular cross section of the bristles and the normally cylindrical shape of the storage container, a relatively large amount of solvent needs to be used to bathe the bristles. The wider the bristle portion, the larger the amount of solvent is needed. This can lead to a waste of solvent. Additionally, the ends of the bristles are usually resting at the bottom of the container and with no side support the bristles. Therefore the bristles may deform and eventually stay that way so that when the user takes the brush out of the solvent the bristle portion is bent to one side or the other making it unsuitable for painting. Also, if a brush or brushes are sitting in an opened top solvent filled container, there is a good chance that the solvent fumes will permeate the nearby environment. Solvents such as turpentine or acetone are known carcinigens and therefore are not healthy to have in the air. Finally, there is a chance, while carrying a brush that is bathing in solvent, for the solvent to slosh and spill therefore causing undo mess and clean up delays.